COTBC Newsletter Archives - College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia

Opportunity to Serve on Quality Assurance Committee (QAC)

November 22, 2022

The College is looking for a registrant to join the Quality Assurance Committee.

Role of the Committee

The Quality Assurance Committee (QAC) is responsible for carrying out the duties prescribed to it under section 26 of the Health Professions Act, including administration of the quality assurance program and scheduling of the quality assurance program cycle.

We Value Diversity

We are committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Committee members bring valuable perspectives to guide committee activities and support informed and good decisions for our public protection programs. We welcome members of equity-seeking groups to consider serving with the Quality Assurance Committee.

Committee Membership

The QAC is comprised of four registrants and two public representatives appointed by the Board. Appointments are three-year terms, up to a maximum of nine years (or three terms).

Commitment

QAC members meet in person about three times per year for a one- or two-day session, typically in Vancouver. They may also meet virtually as needed. Some pre-reading is required in preparation for meetings, but no other work is usually required in between.

Honoraria

Members receive an annual honorarium of $525.00 and are reimbursed for travel and expenses in accordance with the College’s expense policy.

How to Apply

If you are interested, you must be a full registrant in good standing and understand the College’s public protection mandate.

Please see Careers & Partnerships on the COTBC website to download and complete the Committee Member Expression of Interest form and email it to the College by December 15, 2022 at qaprogram@cotbc.org. Questions can also be sent to the same email address and we will be pleased to follow up.

COTBC Welcomes New Deputy Registrar Megan Shields

November 22, 2022

Join us in welcoming Megan Shields as the College’s new deputy registrar.

As a member of the executive leadership team, Megan will work closely with the Registrar/CEO to ensure registration, quality assurance and practice programs are aligned with the strategic directions and mandate of the organization. She will also assume the role of overseeing the complaints program and assisting the public and registrants engaged in the complaints process.

We chatted with Megan about what inspires her in her new role.

What inspired you to take on the role of Deputy Registrar Officer at the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC)?

I am very humbled to be joining the team at COTBC. The Deputy Registrar role offered an irresistible opportunity to work with leaders in our profession on impactful and progressive initiatives that support safe, ethical, and effective practice across the province. Being part of the leadership team to make advancements in regulation for occupational therapy is intrinsically motivating for me. I am very grateful to be able to learn from both Kathy Corbett and Carin Plischke during this transition time at COTBC.

What do you feel that you bring to this role?

Over the course of my career thus far, I’ve had the opportunity to work in a variety of practice settings in the public and private sectors, for both physical and mental health. Having a varied clinical skillset is advantageous in my role as Deputy Registrar to advance standards of practice and quality assurance. I look forward to bringing a strong work ethic and core values of excellence and fairness to the exciting and challenging work ahead.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with us?

I am originally from Ontario but have called BC home for the last ten years. My family and I moved from Vancouver to Victoria for the start of my role as Deputy Registrar, which has been an exciting change. We are very happy with our decision to re-locate to the island! We are keen to instill a love for the outdoors for our two daughters, and looking forward to many adventures of skiing, hiking and camping ahead. A few bucket list items include skiing at Mount Cain, hiking the Nootka trail, and exploring Strathcona Provincial Park.

Progress on Our Indigenous Cultural Safety Commitment

May 9, 2022

We continue to prioritize activities to embed the principles of cultural safety and humility into the College’s culture, governance, and operations.

Examples of current initiatives include:

Developing a learning session for registrants in the Fall
Collaborating with BC Health regulators to explore the development of Practice Standards for Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility
Planning a gathering for OTs that self-identified as Indigenous and showed interest in providing insights and perspectives on regulatory issues

It is critical that we undertake these important activities in a way that is both culturally safe and meaningful, and as such, we continue to make connections with Indigenous Elders and consultants for advice and guidance.

The College recently worked with Sage Paul, an Indigenous artist from W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip) First Nation, to create five custom pieces of digital art titled Respect, Knowledge Keeper, Land Acknowledgement, Ambassador, and Current.

Drawing upon Recommendation #10 of the In Plain Sight report, the College commits to visibly include Indigenous artwork and territorial acknowledgements in both our physical and online spaces to help foster culturally safer environments for Indigenous peoples.

Given the College’s office is privileged to be located on the traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ (Saanich) peoples, including the BOḰEĆEN (Pauquachin), SȾÁ,UTW̱ (Tsawout), W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip), and W̱SÍḴEM (Tseycum) First Nations, it was important that COTBC supported the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council’s ask that “all government institutions, private companies, and individuals operating within W̱SÁNEĆ territory … help the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation in their efforts to revitalize W̱SÁNEĆ culture and re-establish a W̱SÁNEĆ presence on W̱SÁNEĆ lands.”

While we finalize the new cultural safety and humility section of our website where this artwork will be posted, we are excited to share this piece with you. Titled, Land Acknowledgement, Sage Paul states that she designed this image “to be a collection of elements representing the movement and growth of our land.”

Read a full description of this digital art, as well as to learn more about the Artist. Watch for website updates where we will share four additional captivating, inspiring, and thought-provoking pieces created by Sage Paul.

2022 Renewal is Approaching – Time for a Currency Check

May 9, 2022

We anticipate registration renewal to begin in mid-May. Over the past several years, many people have faced interruptions to employment and may have experienced a decrease in hours worked. To renew, College Bylaws require registrants to meet one the following currency hour requirements:

Successful completion of at least 600 hours within the scope of the profession in the preceding three years,
Successful completion of a re-entry program within the preceding 18 months,
Graduation from a recognized Canadian occupational therapy program or being deemed substantially equivalent, having obtained an academic qualification from a program or institution outside Canada, within the past 18 months.

Given registration renewal will be for the 2022/2023 period, the hours completed during the following years will be eligible towards meeting the 600 hours in the preceding three years currency hour requirement: 2019-2020, 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. Please review your currency to ensure you will be eligible for renewal in June.

The College website offers a currency calculator to help you tally your hours.

If you are short on currency, the Registration Committee will consider hours you spent in other activities that support your continuing competence and the delivery of safe, ethical, and effective care. These activities may include participation in volunteer work and continuing professional development (both formal and informal study) from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2022.

Note these hours cannot exceed 25% of the 600 required hours (i.e., 150 hours), and cannot have been accumulated while your registration status was non-practising or cancelled, or while you were participating in a re-entry program.

To apply for consideration fill out the online form by June 7, 2022 and/or contact the College for next steps at registration@cotbc.org.

One-Year Anniversary of In Plain Sight Report

December 20, 2021

November 30 marked the first anniversary of the report on Indigenous-specific racism in BC’s health-care system In Plain Sight, an independent review led by Dr. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond.

On that day, Turpel-Lafond released a statement highlighting some areas of progress made to date. She urged that these developments be used as motivation to address recommendations that have seen little to no movement. Occupational therapists are encouraged to read the original In Plain Sight report as well as her recent statement.

COTBC remains committed to taking action to address the what the report describes as widespread systemic racism against Indigenous people, including stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice. For example, following the ceremony and signing of the Joint Statement of Apology and Commitments to Action, College staff and/or Board members have:

Both hosted and/or participated in multiple learning sessions and workshops to build knowledge and competencies to best undertake this work.
Liaised with an Indigenous consultant for feedback on draft content for a Cultural Safety and Humility section on our website. Revisions are currently underway.
Continued to collaborate with other BC Health Regulators to identify opportunities to share, partner, or build off each other’s work, in an effort to support timely and consistent action.
Commissioned a local Indigenous artist who has started the design of a series of custom digital artwork pieces for the College.
Initiated planning for an event to meet with occupational therapists who self-identified as Indigenous at this year’s registration renewal and provided their consent to be contacted by the College.

The College will continue to keep you informed of progress on our commitment in upcoming newsletters and other communications. Contact us at info@cotbc.org if you have any questions or comments.